Chapter 206
Chapter 206
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 206
Chapter Title: A Trivial Matter
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Soso’s face fell as she stared at Byeok Taesan’s room.
"Hmph, it's all ruined."
Beside her, Cheolran and Seolhwa gently patted her shoulders.
Soso had joined this trip with great determination.
On the first day, the day she had been eagerly anticipating, Byeok Taesan had helped Yeon Harin with her training.
Soso had been disappointed, but she had no choice but to give up.
And today, the second day, Yeon Harin was still fast asleep in her room, not yet having regained her senses.
It was a perfect opportunity.
So, she had waited ever since Byeok Taesan entered the dungeon, saying he was going to see the people he had captured earlier.
But Byeok Taesan had emerged from the dungeon with the man he had fought.
And he had taken that man into his own room.
Soso gazed at Byeok Taesan’s room with eyes full of disappointment and sorrow.
The light was still on.
He might be interrogating the man all night.
Usually, when he took someone in like that, screams would eventually erupt.
But for some reason, there were no screams today.
Only time flowed on endlessly.
Cheolran and Seolhwa stood on either side of Soso, watching her quietly.
Whenever they looked at Soso, she felt like a much younger sister.
After her night with Byeok Taesan, Soso had become noticeably more beautiful, but her beauty leaned heavily towards the cute side.
This was especially true because of her still-plump cheeks.
Cheolran unconsciously reached out and gently pinched Soso’s cheek.
Soso looked at Cheolran in surprise. With one cheek lightly pinched and her eyes wide, Soso looked even cuter.
Cheolran’s hand reached out and pinched Soso’s other cheek as well.
"Sister, p-please let go."
Soso said, flustered. But with her cheeks being held, her pronunciation was off. It made her look even more adorable.
As if she couldn't stand it, Cheolran rubbed her own cheek against Soso's.
"The Young Master is too much. She’s so cute, but he just doesn't appreciate our Soso's true charms."
Watching the scene from the side, Seolhwa nodded with her characteristic deadpan expression.
"Soso is the most pleasant to hold while sleeping."
Soso was horrified by Seolhwa’s words.
"You held me while I slept?"
She had no idea. As the first to fall asleep and the last to wake up, how could she know what happened while she was sleeping?
"I didn't do anything strange, so rest assured."
Seolhwa said calmly, but Soso's face was already beet red.
"T-That is something strange!"
The person who replied was not Cheolran or Seolhwa.
"What is this 'something strange' you speak of?"
Startled by the voice from behind, the three of them spun around.
Byeok Taesan was standing there, having appeared without them noticing.
"Ah, Y-Y-Young Master."
Soso's mind went completely blank, and she couldn't think of anything to say.
Cheolran was in a similar state.
In her panic, her body moved first. She was about to flee but forced herself to stop and lowered her head.
Only Seolhwa remained expressionless and calm.
She bowed her head respectfully toward Byeok Taesan.
"Young Master, you have returned."
Byeok Taesan looked at Seolhwa and asked.
"I asked what 'something strange' is."
"It is holding Soso in one's arms while sleeping."
Byeok Taesan tilted his head.
"Is that something strange?"
Seolhwa looked steadily at Byeok Taesan and said.
"It is not."
She quickly added.
"You should try it once today."
Soso’s head snapped toward Seolhwa with the speed of a lightning bolt; she never expected her to say something so out of the blue.
Byeok Taesan nodded nonchalantly.
"I shall do so."
It was a conversation as casual as buying sweets from a street vendor.
Only Soso, who was listening, was fidgeting anxiously.
Byeok Taesan began walking toward the building where his room was located.
As Soso stood there, unsure of what to do, Cheolran gave her a gentle but firm push on the back.
"Eek!"
Unable to resist Cheolran’s push, Soso stumbled forward and bumped right into Byeok Taesan’s back.
Byeok Taesan stopped walking and turned around.
Again, Soso didn't know what to do and simply lowered her head, shuffling her feet nervously.
Seeing this, Byeok Taesan let out a small laugh.
Then he swept Soso up into his arms and strode forward.
Soso’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked up at Byeok Taesan.
Behind Byeok Taesan’s face, she could see Cheolran and Seolhwa.
She saw them both clench their fists and raise them slightly, as if to cheer her on.
Soso mouthed 'Thank you' to them, then gently closed her eyes and rested her head on Byeok Taesan’s chest.
* * *
The night in Jeongdeok County passed.
Yeon Harin finally woke up in the morning. It felt as if her submerged consciousness was slowly rising to the surface.
The moment she came to her senses, she shot up and looked around.
It was an unfamiliar room.
She couldn't quickly grasp the situation.
All she remembered was swinging her sword at her opponent with all her might, and then an intense shock coursing through her entire body.
The opponent she had fought was a master far above her level.
If he hadn't been toying with her, holding back, she wouldn't have lasted more than a few exchanges before being killed.
In any case, she had fought such a person and survived. A swelling sense of accomplishment filled her.
Regardless, waking up in an unfamiliar room and an unfamiliar bed after losing consciousness naturally made her wary.
Yeon Harin cautiously got out of bed. She checked for any presence nearby and slowly opened the door.
The scenery of an unfamiliar estate unfolded before her.
"Where on earth am I?"
She muttered to herself as she stepped out of the room.
Just then, as if they had woken up around the same time or had been waiting for her, Cheolran and Seolhwa emerged from a nearby room.
Seeing the two of them, the tension finally drained from her.
"You're awake?"
"Are you feeling alright?"
As the two approached and asked, Yeon Harin smiled gently and nodded.
But Seolhwa said firmly.
"The Young Master ordered us to check your condition thoroughly. He also said to report immediately if there is anything wrong, even the slightest thing."
Yeon Harin gave an awkward smile and nodded.
Dealing with Byeok Taesan’s handmaidens was somewhat difficult for her.
Except for Soso.
"Well then… I'll go back inside and rest for a bit."
The two handmaidens bowed respectfully.
Yeon Harin smiled awkwardly once more and went back into her room.
Once inside, Yeon Harin let out a small sigh and sat on the bed.
In any case, she had confirmed her situation.
Now, it was time to check her body.
Yeon Harin closed her eyes and began to look inward.
Since learning the new martial art from Byeok Taesan, she had been growing stronger at a terrifying pace.
Honestly, it was frightening even to herself.
She was worried if it was okay to become this strong so quickly.
But her desire for strength had swallowed all those fears.
So she had focused solely on getting stronger.
However, yesterday's event was a situation that surpassed everything she had experienced so far.
She honestly didn't know what the outcome was. But her realm must have completely changed.
She had felt it from the moment she woke up.
Now it was time to face it more clearly and surely.
*Fwoosh!*
A pure white light burst from Yeon Harin’s body.
Her spiritual power had grown just from organizing her new enlightenment and looking inward.
Yeon Harin realized that her body had changed completely. That wasn't all. The quality of the energy residing in her body had also changed.
Along with it, her spiritual power had changed as well.
Through introspection, Yeon Harin moved to enlightenment and fell into a state of selflessness.
The pure white light erupting from her body grew stronger and stronger.
* * *
Byeok Taesan’s party left Jeongdeok County.
Having replenished their numbers with Underworld Sect members in Jeongdeok County, they could now have them escort Hong Yeoik's group, which had been captured on Mount Huang.
Of course, they didn't send them off separately.
These men were quite important within Nameless. Therefore, there was no telling what variables might arise.
In such cases, it was better to keep them close and watch them.
Byeok Taesan wanted to keep them within his sight.
As they headed back toward Nanchang, Byeok Taesan continuously conversed with Hong Yeoik.
Unlike the other members of Nameless, Hong Yeoik told him everything he knew.
Everything except for one thing: the story of the lord he served, the master of Nameless.
When asked about the master of Nameless, Hong Yeoik simply made a reluctant expression.
At first, that was all.
But he didn't immediately answer the question.
Byeok Taesan asked again in a stronger tone, and only then did he try to answer.
But at that moment, he suddenly complained of a headache and clutched his head.
It wasn't an act.
Seeing this, Byeok Taesan realized that a restriction had been placed on him.
He immediately sharpened his senses to determine what kind of restriction it was.
But surprisingly, he couldn't figure it out.
Byeok Taesan had naturally assumed that spiritual power had been embedded into his soul to create the restriction.
But there was no such trace on Hong Yeoik’s soul.
There was a faint scent of blood, but compared to other masters of Nameless, it was practically nonexistent.
After that, he didn't bother asking about the master of Nameless.
It was something he would find out eventually when he gently burned the man's soul later.
But at that moment, Byeok Taesan had a sudden premonition.
He might not be able to obtain information about the master of Nameless even if he burned the soul.
In any case, aside from that, Hong Yeoik readily spoke of what he knew.
He also spilled everything he knew about the three others who did similar work.
Of course, he didn't know where they were. He only knew that they were conducting research similar to his own.
He even spoke eagerly about his own research. He explained with such passion that it almost seemed like he was boasting.
"So, the important thing isn't learning the same internal art, but dyeing the color of their internal energy to be identical."
Hong Yeoik was now speaking respectfully to Byeok Taesan.
At first, he had addressed him casually, but as they talked, it had naturally become this way.
Even Hong Yeoik found it a bit strange. For some reason, when he faced Byeok Taesan, he felt as if the man were a much higher-ranking elder.
He couldn't tell if it was because he was overwhelmed by his power or because of his aura.
"And the best way to dye the internal energy is to drill a hole directly into the dantian and pour the internal energy in. If you inject it in any other way, it gets distorted on its way to the dantian, so you have to put it in directly."
Byeok Taesan, who had been listening to Hong Yeoik's explanation while walking ahead, turned his head to look at him the moment he said that.
The cruel idea of drilling a hole in the dantian was just too absurd.
Hong Yeoik grinned and continued.
"Of course, it's not something just anyone can do. There's a special secret to it. Anyway, in the process of filling them with internal energy, nine out of ten die. Their constitution is also extremely important, you see."
Hong Yeoik proudly turned his head to look at his disciples, who were slumped over the shoulders of the Underworld Sect members.
"Usually, they wither away after one use, but those guys have already been used three times. I'm probably the only one who has kept five reusable ones alive."
What truly terrifying men. How many more like them could there be?
"Besides, once the internal energy is properly settled, it doesn't matter what internal art they use. The art those guys learned is the Clear Heart Arts."
Byeok Taesan scoffed.
"Their deeds are that of demons, yet they seek the pinnacle of purity in their internal energy."
The Clear Heart Arts was difficult to learn and terribly inefficient, but in terms of the purity of its internal energy, it was one of the best.
Hong Yeoik grinned.
"What does it matter? As long as I increase their numbers, I can make them my own."
Byeok Taesan looked at Hong Yeoik.
"The side effects?"
For the first time, Hong Yeoik's expression darkened slightly.
"Well… they're trivial."
As Byeok Taesan continued to stare, Hong Yeoik, unable to withstand the pressure, answered evasively.
"There are mild homicidal urges. Well… their libido seems a bit twisted… and they have occasional fits of rage, but breaking something usually helps with that."
How were those trivial side effects?
Hong Yeoik continued to diligently elaborate on his research in detail.
By the time he was done, they had arrived in Nanchang.
After arriving in Nanchang, Hong Yeoik and his disciples were taken away by the Underworld Sect members for interrogation.
Of course, a firm restriction was placed on Hong Yeoik to prevent him from using his martial arts.
Byeok Taesan told Hwaok all the information he had gathered and went to his room.
And Byeok Taesan’s handmaidens practically abducted Soso and took her somewhere.